gifford



Feb. 20, 1923. 1,445,830 I A. G. GIFFORD AUTOMOBILE SNUBBER Filed May 19, 1920 2 sheets-shee1 1 QEu cni'or Patented Feb. 20, teas; i dddhdf r n rarest caries.

newline G. srrronn or noci nsrnn, me gestation or creates 'ro FRANK J. ivmnsrrnnn, on ROCHESTER, new YORK.

aoronroniiin snuBBEn;

Application filed May is, 1920. Serial No; 392,528.

To all 'ZUILO'H'L it may concern. The chassis of the vehicle is designatedby 55 Be it known that l, ARTHUR G. GIFFORD, the numeral 8, and to the front portion of acitizen of the United States, -residing this chassisyshown in the drawings, the Rochester, in "the county of Monroe and usual semi-elliptic spring9 is fastened, any State f New York, have invented certain approved fastening means being utilized for new and useful Improvement-sin Automothis purpose. 7 i i bile Snubbers, of which the following is a de i nat s th f t-a l fth hi l specification. to which the spring 9 is, fastened by means This invention relates to improvements in of lip or .U-bolts ll and in preferred con; automobilesnubbers and it has for its obstruction I apply tothe top of the spring 9 v ject the provision of a simple and inexpena connector bar 12, which is adjustably fassive device of this kind which will effectually toned in place by the clips or 'U-bolts ll. guard against sudden rebound of the spring- My improved snubber is preferablyin the mounted vehicle body after the spring has form of a cylindrical casing 13" closed at its 15 been depressed, thus absorbing sudden rearend' by a wall ii and having its front shocks and jars and rendering the vehicle endclosed-by means of a cover 15. Said cy-- easy riding under all road conditions. I lindrical' casing is provided at its outer end lf v itli these and. other objects in view to with an outstanding flange 16 between which appear hereinafter, the invention consists in and the niarginal portion of the cover 15 a 20 the novel features of construction and in the suitable washeror other packing medium 17 arrangement and combination of parts to be is interposed, the cover being fastened to the hereinafter described and more particularly flange 16 of said casingby means of screws pointed out in the subjoinedclaims. 18. The casing 13' alsohas an outstanding In.thedraw1ngs: I flange 19 at its rear end and through which 25 Fig. 1 'isa sectional elevation of a portion and the side bar or memberof the chassis 8,

ofthe front endof an automobile or other bolts20 are passed, said-bolts having nuts 21 vehicle, showing parts of my improved applied thereto, which bear against the inner snubber" attached, respectively, to the side face of said side member.v r bars of the chassis and one of the front i i ithin said casing Iemploy what I term.

30. sp'rings,.the ends of the spring being dean overrunningclutch comprising two pressed. parts or members, an outer, member 22 and (Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section an inner member 23, and between the two taken on line 22,-Fig. 1, looking in the diparts of said clutch and the cover15, fricrection of the arrow crossing said-line. tion means- 24: is interposed. The outer 35 Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken member 22 of the overrunningclu tch comon line 33, Iiig. 1.. I I prises a spindle 25 arranged axially within Fig. 4 1s a transverse section taken on l1n the casing and extendingoutwardly through 44, Fig. 2. i the cover 15 thereof, a web 26 formed on V Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on line said spindle at the rear nd thereof, and a. 40 5-5, Fig. 2, looking to the right. circumferential flange 2'7 extending from, V Fig. 6 is atransverse section taken on line the front of the marginal portion of said 5 5, Fig. 2, looking to the left. web, said flange having an exterior diameter Fig. 7 is a detached perspectiveview of somewhat less than the-interior diameter of the connector bar clipped or otherwise fassaid casing so that the outer member 22 of 45 tened to the vehicle spring. the clutch may rotate freely. At the rear I have illustrated my invention applied of the web 26, a boss 28 is formed, which is to the chassis of an automobile or other veentered in a seat or hearing 29 formed in the hicle. and while I have shown itin connecrear wall 1% of the casing. The spindle is tion with one of the front springs, it is of reduced in diameter a short distance in ad- 50 course to he understood that asimilar device vance of the web 26 from which it projects will be used in connection with the other to form an outwardly facing shoulder 30, springs of the vehicleybut if desired, these and it is provided with a second reduced snubbers maybe applied to the rear springs portion to providea second outwardly fac- I only, i 7 ing shoulder 81 a short distance from the-inner surface of the cover 15. This spindle may therefore be termed a stepped spin-- dle, and all portions of it are cylindrical. except the outer extremity, which is slightly tapered, as at 32, for the purpose to be de' scribed hereinafter.

The inner member 23 of the overrunning clutch is in the form of a sleeve 33 having at its inner end an enlargement 34 whose peripheral face is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the flange 27 of the outer member 22. Said inner member 23 has an axial bore therethrough which is enlarged at its inner end and therefore fits the two portions of the spindle at opposite sides of the shoulder 30. Said enlargement 34 is provided with roller-receiving notches or pockets 35, each being gradually deepened toward one end. Within each of these peripheral notches, a clutch roller 36 is located, said rollers serving to lock the two parts of the overrunning clutch together when the outer member is rotated in one direction but being adapted to be retained within the enlarged portions of said notches when the outer member of said clutch is rotated in the opposite direction so as to permit said outer member to rotate independently of the inner member. The exterior of the sleeve or, as it may be termed, of the smaller or reduced portion of the inner member, is substantially of rectangular formation in cross section, and more particularly as shown, it has four sides with the corners or angles cut away, as at 37.

The cylindrical wall of the casing is provided at regular intervals with internal beads or ribs 38, and said outer member 22 is preferably in movable contact with said beads or ribs, as best shown in Fig. 4. As these beads or ribs are of the same formation and size, the clutch is thereby posi-- tioned centrally within the casing. The friction means 24 comprises a plurality of metal disks 39 fitting freely within the casing 13, and composite disks 40 arranged between said metal disks, each composite disk 40 being formed of a thin metallic member 41 and two fiber, leather, or other friction members 42 applied to opposite sides of the metallic member 41 and riveted or otherwise fastened thereto, as at 43, said composite disks being interposed between and lying in contact with the metal disks 39. The metal disks 39 have peripheral notches 44 formed therein to receive the beads or ribs 38 of the casing and are thus held. against rotating.

the clutch to permit said inner member to rotate within the openings of said metal. disks. The composite disks 40 are of somewhat smaller diameter than the metal disks 39 and their peripheral edges lie in contact with the beads or ribs 38 of the casing, as best shown in Fig. (5. Said composite disks have axial openings 46 therein, which are substantially square in. formation, and of a size to fit snugly over the substantially rectangular reduced portion of the inner memother flange 49 at its outer end so that a suitable tool may be applied thereto for rotating the bushing. A jam nut 50 is applied to the bushing and bears against the outer surface of the cover 15. fore apparent that upon tightening the bush ing within the cover, the desired pressure will he applied against the pressure disk 47, which in turn will force the disks 39, 40 of the friction means together in firm con tact with each other, and the innermost disk of said friction means against the shouldered portion of the inner member 23 and the outer edge of the flange 27 of the outer member of the clutch.

To the tapered extremity 32 of the spindle It is there In order to prevent accidental disengagement of said actuating lever from the spindle, a washer55 is placed against the outer face of said lever so as to conceal the end of said spindle and the borewithin said lever. and through this washer a screw 56 is massed, which is threaded into the spindle.

The outer end of said actuating lever has a stud 57 extending inwardly therefrom, said stud being threaded into or otherwise applied to said lever and having a ball 58 at its inner end fitted into a socket 59 at the upper end of an actuating rod 60. The actuating rod has a similar socket (it at its lower end into which the ball 62 of a stud 63 fastened to an arm 64 on the connector bar 12 is held. Thus the actuating rod is connected at the top and bottom by universal joints, and in order that the device may be applied to differentvehicles, said actuating rod is made adjustable and com prises an upper member 65 provided with a threaded bore 66 and a lower member 67 having a threaded upper end 68 adapted to be threaded into said bore 66. For the purpose of retaining said members in any adjusted position, or to keep the sockets thereof in proper spaced relation after said members are adjusted, a nut 69 s applied to the threaded portion of the lower memher and bears against the lower end of said upper member. Bythe'use of an ad us table actuating rod, the lower end of sand rod may be connected to the under side of the spring, or if desired to thevelncle axle, and while I have shown the actuating lever 51 extending to the right in Fig. 1, the device may be so positioned that this lever will extend toward the left, in which case the connector bar 12 may be reversed on the spring to bring the arm 64' thereof in a plane forward of the axle. p l

' While I have shown the casing of this device applied to one of the side members of thechassis, it is apparent that it may be applied to anyoth'er portion of the vehicle carried by the springs. It is also to be noted that although I have shown the exterior of the reduced portion of the mner clutch member substantially rectangular in formation so that the friction disks 4L0 will rotate there-with, it may be given any other noncircular shape and the opemngs in said friction disks may be correspondingly shaped, or saidfriction disks may be fastened onto said inner member in any other manner to compel said disks to rotate with said inner member.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When the springs are depressed the vehicle body will lower, and as the outer end of the actuating lever 51 is connected to a portion of the spring where thedepressions or deflections thereof are very slight, if any, said actuatinglever will swing upwardly due to the casing 13 moving downwardly with the vehicle body and will rotate certain parts of the device enclosed within said ca s ing, the stud 57 at the outer end of said actuating lever serving as a pivot on which said lever will swing. This therefore causes the outer clutch member 22 to rotate within the casing in the direction of the arrow 71 in Fig. 4;, which permits the clutch rollers 36 to remain in the deepened ends of the roller-receiving notchesor pockets 35, and ifnot so positioned will cause said rollers to enter and be retained in said deepened ends, thus allowing the outer clutch member 22 to rotate on the inner clutch member 23. Then the springs recover themselves to permit the vehicle body to move upwardly. the actuating lever 51 is swung downwardly. thus causing the outer clutch member 22 it?) rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4. This compels the clutch rollers 36 to travel toward the smaller ends of the roller-receiving notches or pockets an inner member :35 and causes the inner clutch member to be The body of the vehicle is therefore at all 4 times assured of a gentle upward movement when traveling over uneven roads.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that my improved snubber is designed to permit the spring-mounted vehicle body to lower as freely as the springs mounting them will permit, but the upward movement will be retarded and very gradual so as to elimihate all sudden rebounds or upthro'ws of the body, which is so undesirable and annoying, and therefore easy riding is assured under all road conditions.

Having thus described I claim is p p 1. ii snubber comprising a casing, an overrunning clutch within said casing having an outer part and an inner part with clutch means between said two parts, said outer part having an axial spindle extending therefrom, pressure means within said casmg, and friction disks between the two parts of said clutch and said pressure means.

2. A snubber comprising a casing having a cover at one end, an overrunning clutch wlthin said casing having an outer member,

and clutch means between said members, said outer member having an axial spindle extending through said cover, pressure means within said casing, means without the casing for regulating the pressure of said pressure means, and friction elements between said pressure means and the two parts of said clutch.

3. A snubber comprising a. casing having an internal projection, an overrunning clutch rotatable in said casing having an outer member, an inner member and clutch meansbetween said members, said outer member having an axial spindle extending through said inner member, disks loosely surrounding a part of said inner member and having notches into which the internal projection of said casing fits, and friction disks interposed between said first-mentioned disks and non-rotatably mounted on a part of said inner member, and means regulable from the exterior of said casing for forcing all of said disks together and against parts of the inner and outer members of said clutch.

my invention, what 4. A snubber comprising a cylindrical casing closed at one end and open at the other,

a cover applied to said open end, said casing having a plurality of longitudinal ribs on the inner surface of its cylindrical wall, an overrunning clutch rotatable Within said casing and having an outer member provided with a web, a spindle extending axlflllyfi FOIH said web and through said cover and a flange projecting from the marginal portion of said web, and an inner member having a sleeve mounted on said spindle with an enlargement at one onfl, of said sleeve )rovided with peripheral pockets gradually deepened toward one end, clutch rollers within said pockets, metallic disks within said casing loosely surrounding said inner member with one of said disks in contact with the edge of the flange of said outer member and also in contact with the enlargement of said inner member, said disks having peripheral notches into which the longitudinal ribs of said casing lit, friction disks between said metallic disks rotatable withinthe casing and applied to said inner member so as to rotate therewith, a pressure disk within said casing bearing against the outermost metallic disk, and a threaded bushing in said cover bearing against said pressure disk whereby the friction between said metallic and friction disks and between the innermost friction disk and the clutch members can be regulated.

5. A snubber comprising a casing having a cylindrical wall provided with internal longitudinal ribs, an overrunning clutch rotatable within said casing and having a flanged member provided with an axial spindle and a peripherally notched member within said flanged member having a substantially rectangular sleeve portion, rollers within the notches of said notched member, assembled metallic and friction disks arranged alternately within said casing, each metallic disk loosely surrounding the rectangular sleeve of said notched member and having peripheral notches receiving the longitudinal ribs of said cylindrical wall and said friction disks having rectangular openings in which the rectangular portion of said notched member fits, a pressure disk within said casing serving to exert pressure against the assembled disks, a bushing passed through one end of the casing and adjustable therein, said bushing bearing against said pressure disk, and means for retaining said bushing in adjusted position, said bushing having the spindle of the'clutch extending tlierethrough.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ARTHUR G. GIFFORD. 

